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Frankin bike!
- Thread starter sagot
- Start date
Island Hopper
New member
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I've been thinking about which engine would work in place of the LC 4 myself. I'm just waiting for my cylinder + head to come back from the machine shop after being replated. In my case at around KM 41,500 the top piston ring broke and damaged the piston + some minor scratches in the bore. Could of been worse if I didn't notice the change in engine sound and look into it right away. Doing all the work myself and with a 15% discount on parts it's still going to cost me $1000 when all is said and done. I was thinking of a Bombardier pre fuel injection F650 engine as it is right side drive but it may be too large to fit the space, also the earlier Husky 610s would work but may be no more reliable than the LC 4 + parts availability could be an issue. Changing to a left side drive XRR would be a little more costly as you would have the brake assembly swingarm relationship to sort out. But the XRR engine seems pretty compact and may just fit, with the worst thing being the rear engine + swingarm mounting bolt lining up. Also if the engines stroke is considerably longer than the KTMs 78 mm you could have clearance issues with the top of the frame. Your other option { and probably the cheapest} is to rebuild your LC 4 and install a thicker base gasket to lower compression and relieve some stress on the engine. I feel this is the problem with the KTM, the engines are tuned to run closer to max than others in its class and a slight bit of detuning may help with reliability issues. From what I can see being inside the LC 4 is that they are well built engines with inner components and bearings looking pretty heavy duty and almost overbuilt if there is such a thing. The kicker is that a lot of people who buy the LC 4s make modifications for more power not less and wonder why they burn out quicker. But then again who wants less power?
imported post
I've been thinking about which engine would work in place of the LC 4 myself. I'm just waiting for my cylinder + head to come back from the machine shop after being replated. In my case at around KM 41,500 the top piston ring broke and damaged the piston + some minor scratches in the bore. Could of been worse if I didn't notice the change in engine sound and look into it right away. Doing all the work myself and with a 15% discount on parts it's still going to cost me $1000 when all is said and done. I was thinking of a Bombardier pre fuel injection F650 engine as it is right side drive but it may be too large to fit the space, also the earlier Husky 610s would work but may be no more reliable than the LC 4 + parts availability could be an issue. Changing to a left side drive XRR would be a little more costly as you would have the brake assembly swingarm relationship to sort out. But the XRR engine seems pretty compact and may just fit, with the worst thing being the rear engine + swingarm mounting bolt lining up. Also if the engines stroke is considerably longer than the KTMs 78 mm you could have clearance issues with the top of the frame. Your other option { and probably the cheapest} is to rebuild your LC 4 and install a thicker base gasket to lower compression and relieve some stress on the engine. I feel this is the problem with the KTM, the engines are tuned to run closer to max than others in its class and a slight bit of detuning may help with reliability issues. From what I can see being inside the LC 4 is that they are well built engines with inner components and bearings looking pretty heavy duty and almost overbuilt if there is such a thing. The kicker is that a lot of people who buy the LC 4s make modifications for more power not less and wonder why they burn out quicker. But then again who wants less power?
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Wow! My thoughts exactly!!
When people talk about how reliable the 640 Adventure is and how they had to replace the con rod twice in 40,000 KM, I get a little confused.
This bike was my dream bike. I had to ride a DR 350, and then an old DR600 until I was good enough to handle the KTM. Image my surprise when the frikin thing blew up on a remote road in Namibia, Africa. Sounds exotic doesn't it.
NOT!
Maybe it was my fault for not pulling the "brown" ignition wire at the rite time but in my defence, the owners manual says nothing about it!
So I get back from Africa and head over to my garage to see if the "old" DR600 would start. A ten min. battery charge and 3 kicks later it purring like a kitten. Well a big, ten year old, ally kitten but it's running pretty dam good. Next week I go for a ride and, "hey this bike is all right", not fast, crappy forks but hey I’m suddenly thinking of a new one or maybe...
Dropping a Honda engine in the 640 cause, hey, I already own it.
Anyway rant over, and thanks again Island Hopper. Some good ideas to think about.
PS: Check out http://www.geocities.com/bikebrothers and have a look at the mileage on the bikes under "The Motorbikes".
imported post
Wow! My thoughts exactly!!
When people talk about how reliable the 640 Adventure is and how they had to replace the con rod twice in 40,000 KM, I get a little confused.
This bike was my dream bike. I had to ride a DR 350, and then an old DR600 until I was good enough to handle the KTM. Image my surprise when the frikin thing blew up on a remote road in Namibia, Africa. Sounds exotic doesn't it.
NOT!
Maybe it was my fault for not pulling the "brown" ignition wire at the rite time but in my defence, the owners manual says nothing about it!
So I get back from Africa and head over to my garage to see if the "old" DR600 would start. A ten min. battery charge and 3 kicks later it purring like a kitten. Well a big, ten year old, ally kitten but it's running pretty dam good. Next week I go for a ride and, "hey this bike is all right", not fast, crappy forks but hey I’m suddenly thinking of a new one or maybe...
Dropping a Honda engine in the 640 cause, hey, I already own it.
Anyway rant over, and thanks again Island Hopper. Some good ideas to think about.
PS: Check out http://www.geocities.com/bikebrothers and have a look at the mileage on the bikes under "The Motorbikes".
Island Hopper
New member
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I've never used the low octane setting myself because I always use top fuel {or at least advertised as so} but I bet not too many KTM dealers even know about the low octane setting that the 03 LC 4s and up have in their ignition. I can't figure out why something as important as this would not have a paragraph devoted to it in the manual. Just remember not to pull the wire with the engine running or you may smell smoke. How many kliks on your bike and how much damage did it sustain? If it's just a case of a new piston and replating the cylinder look at about $850 min, if the cylinder is badly scored add another $300, if the crank/con is gone add $600+ any of the bottom main bearings {crank or mainshaft} add about $100 for each bearing you need {+shaft shims]. If you have to pay labour on top of parts costs things add up in a hurry and suddenly a new DR or KLR looks like a better option. I had a KLR and found it to be a very reliable machine. The 640 Adventure has been my favorite bike so far and I will continue with it until something that better suites my needs comes along, so until then I will continue the rigerous ride and maintain schedule this bike demands, which hasn't been too bad untill now.
imported post
I've never used the low octane setting myself because I always use top fuel {or at least advertised as so} but I bet not too many KTM dealers even know about the low octane setting that the 03 LC 4s and up have in their ignition. I can't figure out why something as important as this would not have a paragraph devoted to it in the manual. Just remember not to pull the wire with the engine running or you may smell smoke. How many kliks on your bike and how much damage did it sustain? If it's just a case of a new piston and replating the cylinder look at about $850 min, if the cylinder is badly scored add another $300, if the crank/con is gone add $600+ any of the bottom main bearings {crank or mainshaft} add about $100 for each bearing you need {+shaft shims]. If you have to pay labour on top of parts costs things add up in a hurry and suddenly a new DR or KLR looks like a better option. I had a KLR and found it to be a very reliable machine. The 640 Adventure has been my favorite bike so far and I will continue with it until something that better suites my needs comes along, so until then I will continue the rigerous ride and maintain schedule this bike demands, which hasn't been too bad untill now.